The System of the Vedanta according to Badarayana's Brahma-Sutras and Cankara's Commentary c5.s6.t3.2

c5.s6.t3.2

“Some maintain that the passages of scripture as to going [to the Brahman] refer to the higher [not to the lower, attribute-possessing Brahman]. This cannot be, because a going to the Brahman is impossible. For to the all-present highest Brahman, inmost of all, who is the soul that is within all, of whom it is said: ‘like the ether [p. 1125] omni-present, eternal’ (cf. above p. 32, l. 9)—‘the perceptible, not supersensible Brahman, that as Self is the innermost being of all’ (Bṛih. 3, 4, 1),—‘Self only is this universe’ (Chând. 7, 25, 2),—‘The Brahman only is this universe, the most excellent’ (Muṇḍ. 2, 2, 11),—to this Brahman whose character is determined by passages of scripture like these, there cannot now or ever be a going in. For we cannot go to a place where we already are; but on the contrary, according to common acceptation, only to another place. It is true experience shews, that we can also go to that, in which we are already, so far as we distinguish different places in it. Thus a man is on the earth, and yet goes to it, in so far as he goes to another place. So also the child is identical with itself, and yet reaches puberty, which is its own self, separated by time. In the same way, one might think, there may be a way of going to the Brahman, so far as it is endowed with all kinds of powers (çakti). But this is not so; on account of the negation of all differences (viçeṣa) in Brahman: ‘Without parts, without action, restful, faultless, stainless’ (Çvet. 6, 19),—‘Nor gross nor fine, nor short nor long’ (Bṛih. 3, 8, 8),—‘For he, the unborn, is without and within’ (Muṇḍ. 2, 1, 2),—‘Verily this great unborn soul (ātman), that neither grows old nor fades nor dies, that is without fear, is the Brahman’ (Bṛih. 4, 4, 25),—‘He is not thus, not thus’ (Bṛih. 3, 9, 26);—according to these rules of scripture and tradition no connection of the highest soul with spatial, temporal or other differences can be assumed, so that one could go to it as to a part of the earth or to an age of life; but a spatially and temporally [p. 1126] determined going to the earth and to the age is possible⁶³ because they are differentiated by locality and circumstances.”